When Eritrean native Mebrahtom “Meb” Keflezighi arrived in San Diego at the age of 12, he found it somewhat difficult to find his niche.
But when he entered seventh grade at Roosevelt Middle School, he ran a mile race and clocked in at a speedy five minutes and 20 seconds.
“I quickly became the “˜fastest kid at school,’ and that really boosted my self-esteem,” said Keflezighi, a UCLA alumnus. “I was no longer the kid with the strange European clothes or foreign-looking appearance.”
From this experience, Keflezighi learned that he possessed a natural talent for running, a talent that would eventually allow him to carve out a legacy in the running world.
In 2009, Keflezighi won the New York City Marathon, making him the first American man in 27 years to come out victorious in the international race.
This past weekend, he was looking to reclaim his title at this year’s marathon.
Though he ended up taking sixth place in the race, he was the fastest American runner to finish.
“The thing about running is that you get out of it what you put in,” Keflezighi said. “Just like my father, I will continue to strive for success through fine-tuning and dedication.”
To understand Keflezighi’s father is to understand Keflezighi’s background.
As a youth in Eritrea, Keflezighi and his brothers were always on the lookout for Ethiopian soldiers.
Caught in the middle of a long-standing war for independence, the family would periodically scatter into nearby fields at any indication of approaching footsteps.
“We really had no peace of mind,” Keflezighi said. “The thought of losing us to the Ethiopian military service scared my father.”
Acting on fatherly instincts to protect his family, Russom Sebhatu walked nearly 600 miles from Eritrea into the nation of Sudan with the goal of earning enough money to get his wife and children out of the country.
“My father’s beliefs closely matched former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden’s philosophy that activity should never be mistaken for achievement,” Keflezighi said. “His focused and hardworking persona is really the reason why we left the country.”
With this determination, Sebhatu immigrated with his family to the United States in 1987 to further their education.
“(Keflezighi’s) father made education most important within the family,” said Bob Larsen, UCLA’s track and field coach from 1979 to 2000. “All of his children would eventually go on to receive degrees from UC schools, as well as other notable institutions across California.”
During his 1994 to 1998 career at UCLA, Keflezighi won a series of running events under Larsen, including NCAA titles in the indoor and outdoor 5,000-meter races and 10,000-meter races during his junior campaign, Larsen said.
“Every distance runner can run the miles,” Larsen said. “What was so unique about (Keflezighi’s) training regiment was the importance with which he placed on stretching and technique. He was extremely efficient.”
Keflezighi’s meticulous and attentive nature led to great academic success as well.
Larsen said he could not recall Keflezighi getting any lower than a B grade, despite being busy with his running career.
“I saw my education as an opportunity,” Keflezighi said. “Since my parents and cousins didn’t have this opportunity, I really pushed myself to excel at UCLA.”
Following Keflezighi’s UCLA years, Larsen and his colleagues went on to begin Team Running USA, a running club centered on helping top-level college runners advance postgraduation.
After training with Team Running USA on the rugged terrain in Mammoth Lakes, Keflezighi met international glory by winning the silver medal in the marathon race at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
“Meb is a truly inspiring story of how someone can surmount all that lies before him and rise to the occasion,” said Mike Maynard, the current UCLA track and field coach. “He is a role model for all the athletes that run here at UCLA, and I’m sure he has had that same effect on people across the world.”